The bar stool: Sazerac

Emily Lucas

Guest Writer

Sazerac:

-Old-Fashioned glass w/ice

-1 sugar cube

– 1 ½ ounces rye or American whiskey

– 2 dashes of Peychaud’s Bitters

– Dash of angostura bitters

– Absinthe

Add a few cubes of ice to an Old-Fashioned glass and let chill. In a second Old-Fashioned glass, crush a sugar cube with a few drops of water, and add a few cubes of ice, the rye, and the bitters. Stir. Pour the ice out of the first glass and coat inside with several drops of absinthe (pour out excess). Strain the rye mixture into this first glass. Finally, twist a lemon peel over the drink and rub the rim with it, then discard or use as a garnish. Serve.

Sazerac was first invented in New Orleans in the mid-1800s and was declared the city’s official cocktail in 2008. Distinguished by its use of Peychaud’s Bitters and two Old-Fashioned glasses, the recipe for Sazerac has been tinkered with several times and the taste of the drink often varies from bartender to bartender.

The original recipe used Sazerac de Forge et Fils cognac, from which it got its name, instead of whiskey. It was first served at the Sazerac House, but around 1870, rye replaced cognac as the main ingredient in the drink due to a blight that ravaged the French wine grapes used to make cognac. The next major change to the drink occurred when the United States banned absinthe in 1912 and Herbsaint, as well as other anise-flavored liqueurs, became absinthe’s primary replacement.

Aaron Bird and Thomas Handy, owners of the Sazerac House,and apothecary Antoine Peychaud, have all been credited with the creation of the drink, but it is unclear who the actual inventor is. Although rarely served outside of the city today, Sazerac remains a celebrated symbol of New Orleans’ rich history.

 

Sources:

www.chow.com

www.esquire.com

www.wikipedia.org

 

 

Amelia Earhart:

-Highball with ice

-Lemon Twist Garnish

– 2 oz Strawberry Puree

– 2 oz. Gin (London-dry)

– 2 tsp. Maraschino liqueur

– 1 tsp. Crème de Violette (or other violet liqueur)

– 2 tsp. Simple Syrup

– Juice ½ lemon

Add ingredients to a shaker with ice, shake, strain into highball, garnish, and serve.

In honor of Women’s History Month, the Amelia Earhart cocktail is a spin on the classic Aviation cocktail made with gin, maraschino liqueur, crème de violette, and lemon juice. In addition to being the first aviatrix (female aviator) to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic, Amelia Earhart was a pioneer for women’s rights. Earhart was a member of the National Woman’s Party and supported the Equal Rights Amendment. She also promoted the creation of separate flying records for women and worked to inspire young women to pursue careers in aviation.

Earhart was the 16th woman to be issued a pilot’s license, the first woman to fly alone across North America and back, and the first person to fly solo from Hawai’i to California. She also set a world altitude record in 1931, flying up to 18,415 ft. Despite her disappearance during her 1937 attempt to circumnavigate the globe, Amelia Earhart remains a feminist icon, an accomplished aviatrix, and the worthy namesake of this cocktail.

 

Sources:

www.gothamist.com

www.shaunthebartender.com

www.thebarcrafters.com

www.wikipedia.org

 

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